Dispensing device for collapsible tubes



y 1938. c; s. MANN DISPENSING DEVICE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed Sept. 13, 1937 VEN T012. 67/0 4 5 STEM/9R7 flaw/v.

ATTORNEY.

Patented May 10, 1938 PATENT OFFICE DISPENSING DEVICE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Charles Stewart Mann, Vancouver, British (10 1 lumbia, Canada Application September 13, 1937, Serial No. 163,567

4 Claims. (01. 221-60) My invention relates to improvements in dispensing devices for collapsible tubes. The objects of the invention are to provide means capable of attachment to collapsible tubes of shaving cream, tooth paste and the like, which can be opened by turning and closed by thumb pressure applied to a button conveniently disposed on the side of the device; to provide means for non-rotatably securing the device to the nipple of the tube which is controlled by a thumb button and which is not normally removable and therefore cannot be misplaced. Further objects will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention consists of a sleeve adapted for attachment to the nipple of a collapsible tube and a cap rotatable upon the tube which on being turned one complete revolution opens the device to permit the extrusion of the paste from said tube, as will be more fully described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:--

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the non-rotating slotted sleeve, taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the rotating slotted sleeve taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

In the drawing like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

30 The numeral I indicates a collapsible tube hav ing shoulders 2 and a nipple 3 through which the contents of the tube are normally expressed. Fitted upon the nipple 3 is an internally threaded sleeve 5 having a conical base flange 5 ex- 35 tending to cover the shoulders 2 and having an internal flange 6 which is adapted to be drawn down onto a packing ring 1 carried upon the end of the nipple.

The internally threaded sleeve is provided with 40 an annular rib 8, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear. A non-rotating sleeve 9 hav ing T-headed radial arms I0 is supported in recesses ll formed in the upper face of the internally threaded sleeve 4 and is secured therein 45 in any suitable manner. The non-rotating sleeve 9 is fitted at its base with a screw plug l3 having a stem I4 and forms an abutment for a spiral spring l5.

Surrounding the non-rotating sleeve 9 is a ro- 50 tating sleeve [6 having at its base T-headed radial arms ll by which it is secured to the inner wall of a cap generally indicated by the numeral l8. The cap l8, rotatable upon the internally threaded sleeve, is provided at its apex with a 55 discharge orifice l9. Slidably mounted in the non-rotating sleeve 9 is aplunger having its upper end shaped to conform to that of the orifice to form a closure 2| therefor when said plunger is in raised position.

The plunger 20 is provided with a transverse bore 22 in which a bolt 23 is slidably mounted. One end of the bore. 22 is provided with a screw plug 24 and a compression spring 25 is interposed between the plug and the bolt 23 to urge the latter radially outward into a vertical slot 26 in the 10 non-rotating sleeve 9 and a spiral slot 2'! in the rotating sleeve l6. The spiral slot 21 extends completely around the sleeve l6 and in consequence one complete revolution of the cap is necessary to retract the plunger to full open position. 15

Mounted in the side wall of the cap I8 is a thumb button 28 having a spring retracted stem 29 which is aligned with the lower extremity of the spiral slot 21 and is adapted on being pressed to thrust the bolt 23 out of the spiral slot that the 20 plunger may be raised to closing position and the bolt may re-enter the spiral slot at its upper extremity.

The cap I8 is held against endwise movement along the internally threaded sleeve 4 by an an- 25 nular groove 30 which engages the annular rib 8. The internally threaded sleeve 4 is held against rotational movement upon the nipple 3 by a pointed set screw 3| having a transverse ridge 32 which is adapted to be engaged by a 30 transversely slotted inner enlargement 33 of a stem 34. The stem 34 passes through a bushing 35 screwed into the wall of the cap l8, which bushing has a concentric recess 36 in which a button 31 secured upon the outer end of the stem 35 34 is slidably movable. The stem 34 is held in its outermost position, as shown in Figure 1, by a spring 38 which extends between the base of the recess 36 and the inner face of the button 31, in which position the enlargement 33 is housed 40 within the thickness of the Wall of the cap and may therefore turn freely.

The device with its parts as shown is with the orifice l9 open as when dispensing paste from the tube. When it is desired to close the orifice pressure is applied to the thumb button 28, which displaces the bolt 23 from the spiral slot 21 leaving it only in the vertical slot 26 of the non-rotating sleeve 9; the spring l5 then urges the plunger upwards to close the orifice and the bolt 23 on reaching the upper extremity of the vertical slot projects again into the spiral slot but does so at the upper extremity of said spiral slot. When it is desired to again open the orifice it sufiices to turn the cap l8 and through it the rotating sleeve 16, which causes the spiral slot thereon to urge the bolt 23 downwardly throughout the length of the vertical slot of the non-rotating sleeve, thus lowering the plunger to the open position illustrated.

It will be obvious that the extrusion of paste will be automatically shut ofi, the orifice closed and hermetically sealed in response to the application of pressure to the thumb button.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a dispensing device for collapsible tubes having a threaded sleeve, a cap rotatable about the sleeve having a discharge orifice, a sleeve rotatable with the cap, said rotatable sleeve having a spiral slot extending entirely therearound, a plunger endwise movable within the rotatable sleeve, a spring pressed bolt transversely slidable in the plunger adapted to engage the spiral slot, means preventing rotation of the plunger, means carried by the cap for displacing the bolt from the spiral slot, and spring means for urging the plunger to close the orifice.

2. In a dispensing device for collapsible tubes as claimed in claim 1, said bolt being urged into slot engaging position by a coil spring carried within the plunger and said spring being enclosed within the plunger by a screw plug.

3. A dispensing device for collapsible tubes comprising a threaded sleeve, a cap rotatable about the sleeve, said cap having a discharge orifice, a non-rotating sleeve carried by the threaded sleeve and a rotating sleeve connected to the cap surrounding the non-rotating sleeve, said non-rotating sleeve having a vertical slot and said rotating sleeve having a spiral slot, at plunger slidable within the non-rotating sleeve adapted when in one position to close the orifice, means extending from the plunger into the vertical slot and the spiral slot, means for urging the plunger into orifice closing position, and a button carried by the cap for releasing the slot engaging means from the spiral slot to permit the plunger to move and close the orifice.

4. In a dispensing device having a sleeve adapted for attachment to the nipple of a collapsible tube and a cap rotatable upon the sleeve, said sleeve having a threaded opening in its wall and a set screw in said opening adapted to engage the nipple of the tube, a bushing in the cap adapted to be brought into register with the threaded opening in the sleeve, a spring retracted stem carried by the bushing, said stem being provided with means at its inner end for engaging the set screw to turn it when moved against 

